Washable diapers have long been known and have, in the past, taken many forms. Such diapers have commonly been constructed of various cloth fabrics and have comprised a number of layers of such fabric to provide adequate absorption. The layers of previous washable diapers have been formed either through folding one large piece of fabric over upon itself in unsecured relationship or through permanently securing a number of smaller fabric pieces to one another.
The disadvantage of a washable diaper that is formed of a number of cloth layers is that when those layers are secured to one another, the drying process following washing becomes very time consuming. The previous use of one large piece of fabric which could be folded for use as a diaper and unfolded for cleaning avoided the difficulty of extended time for drying but resulted in a diaper that was poorly fitted, particularly in the area of the legs, thus leading to discomfort to the wearer and frequent moisture leakage. An additional waterproof pant with gathered leg portions has often been required to cover the folded diaper in order to avoid the leakage problem.
We have found that we can provide a washable diaper that has improved absorbency, is contoured to fit the wearer appropriately and also in which the layers are, to a degree, separable to allow for more efficient cleaning and drying. A liner that is partially attached to the diaper may be folded within the diaper during use for extra absorbency. Because the liner is only partially attached to the diaper, air can circulate freely between the liner and the diaper during drying. An additional secondary liner may also be attached to the liner for increased absorbency and fully detached from the liner for cleaning and drying.